This NBA season is proving to be as exciting as the previous one, with both conferences being highly disputed.
For some of the teams, it’s all about winning. For others, it’s more about being one of the best. No doubt, the Boston Celtics want to lift up another trophy. But to do that, they will need to overcome the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Golden State Warriors.
Last season, they won the Eastern Conference with ease and then defeated the Mavericks in the NBA Finals. Those who were inspired to bet on that NBA match and predicted a nearly flawless victory for the Celtics will never forget their triumph. But can they do it again? Based on what we’ve seen so far, it would appear that they can.
Eastern Conference Favorites
In the Eastern Conference, three teams are clearly stronger than the rest.
The first one, as previously mentioned, is Boston Celtics. Their current score is 16 W – 3 L and there are very few opponents who can realistically defeat them. If they continue to play like this, their playoff spot is guaranteed.
The second one is the Cleveland Cavaliers. This team started the new season with 15 consecutive victories. But then, all of a sudden, they started to lose and ended up being defeated three times in their last five games.
However, despite this temporary lack of form, the Cavaliers remain the top team in the Eastern Conference and have a home record of 10 W – 1 L. If they can overcome their recent disappointments and return to their winning ways, a top three result in the Eastern Conference is guaranteed.
The third team that has remarked itself in this conference is Orlando Magic. This is the only team in NBA that currently has a perfect home record: 9 W – 0 L. On top of that, their current form is formidable: 12 W – 0 L in the last 12 games.
Below the 3rd spot, it’s very hard to talk about favorites because nearly half a dozen teams are very close to each other.
Western Conference Favorites
In the Western Conference, four teams seem to have escaped from the rest of the pack but the battle is far from over. These teams are Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and Memphis Grizzlies.
Quite surprisingly, the Los Angeles Lakers are struggling at the moment. Their record after the first 19 games is 11 W – 8 L. Four of those eight defeats occurred in the last five games, which clearly indicates that something’s wrong.
The most soul-crushing defeat they suffered recently was the one against Orlando Magic: 118 – 119. That was the match that led to a whole series of poor performances but it’s not entirely clear that the players were mentally shaken by losing by the slimmest of margins in front of their fans.
For Stephen Curry, whose team is well-positioned for success in this conference, the battle is just about to start. Unfortunately for him, the last three matches were disastrous, resulting in three consecutive defeats.
The last one was against Oklahoma City Thunder, who are leading in this conference with 15 wins and 4 losses and are on a winning streak, having won their last four games.
One other top team that’s on a winning streak is Memphis. They won their last five games and are now three victories above the Nuggets.
It’s interesting to remark that even the strongest teams in the Western Conference have suffered significant defeats, both at home and away. Even the Oklahoma City Thunder, who seem to be in great shape right now, lost against the likes of the Spurs.
That’s not supposed to happen but every so often, it does.
Overall Favorites
By the looks of things, this NBA season will belong once again to the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers and the Celtics seem far stronger than everyone else in the league.
As for Orlando Magic, they too have looked unbeatable in recent weeks and have accumulated an impressive number of consecutive victories.
There are still four and a half months to go, so it’s a bit too early to make definitive predictions. But if nothing changes, it will be one of the top three Eastern Conference teams that will win the 2024-2025 NBA season.
